Hey all. As per my previous thread, I've got a Ribcraft on order. Now, I fancy putting the boat name on the front of the tubes on both sides but it seems fairly costly.

Ribcraft offer Hypalon cut out naming at £18 per 3" letter. I am sure this will be good quality but at 11 letters each side, I will have a £400 bill to put the name on.

I don't wish to put the name on the console (appreciate much cheaper option) but am wondering what other high quality options there are for names on tubes.

Other threads mention vinyl; not sure how permanent/good quality this is.

Thoughts appreciated.

The name's on mine with Hypalon letters (I assume done by Humber for the original owner) and it looks rubbish now as some bits have come off the letters and none of it is very well stuck on. I was actually thinking about trying to get it off because it looks horrible now. So I wouldn't bother if I was you...

DIY.
Print some nice letters on your computer and cut them out.
Get a bit of hypalon and draw around your letters with a biro the same colour as the hypalon.
Cut them out.
Mount them on your tubes using tape to get the spacing correct.
Draw around them using a similar colour to your tubes.
Lightly sand the tubes within the letter outline.
Sand the back of the letters.
Apply two coats of adhesive to both surfaces and stick em down before the second coat dries. It gives you a bit of sliding to adjust time.
Use a wee drop of cellulose thinners to clear off any excess glue.
Job done.

I'd go for the flexible vinyl too. It's not expensive, easy to apply, and reasonably durable. It probably won't last the lifetime of the boat, but can be removed without too much trouble if you want to replace it.

Been thinkin of putting our name on boat was going to use 2 layers of hypalon and cut through both to give a reversed out sign say black on white but with the advantage of it then being in the same plane and less likely to curl. Will choose a typeface with curved corners.